Missing: Steven Earl Kraft, Jr.
Case: Missing
Nickname: None
Missing From: Benton Harbor, Michigan
Missing Date: February 15, 2001
Race: Caucasian Sex: Male
Age at Time Missing: 12 yrs.
Height: 61-62″
Weight: 95 lbs.
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Green
Tattoos: None
Scars/Piercings/Unique Marks: Small red mark on his chest.
Other: Last seen wearing aqua and purple Hornets team jacket, a tan and white striped shirt and tan parachute pants with black boots.
Police Agency: Benton Township Police Dept. (616) 926-8221 or Federal Bureau of Investigation (313) 965-2323
Case Number: N/A
Circumstance: Steven was last seen playing with his family’s two dogs in the 2100 block of Holly Drive in Benton Harbor, Michigan on February 15, 2001, between seven and eight p.m. He was about half a block away from his residence in the 2100 block of Holly Drive at the time of his disappearance. He has never been heard from again. Steven’s mother was preparing dinner while he was out with their dogs and reported his disappearance afterwards. Temperatures in the area were below freezing and remained very cold over the next several days; Steven could not have survived for long outdoors without shelter. Steven’s footprints lead past an iced-over pond near his home to Harbor Haven Ministries on Irving Street, one block south of Holly Drive. Late in the evening three days after Steven’s disappearance, his older dog, a German shepherd/chow mix, returned home. The dog apparently led his owners to a nearby pond, but no evidence of Steven’s whereabouts was located in the area. The following day, his six-month-old German Shepherd puppy was located near Blue Creek, a mile and a half north of Steven’s home.
Steven completed a five-day suspension from Hull Elementary School shortly before his disappearance. School administrators stated that he defended himself against another student during an altercation. Both boys were suspended. Steven is described as a good student and the incident marked the first time he was disciplined. He was in the sixth grade at the time of his disappearance. His teachers and classmates stated he was a quiet boy who had few friends. He lived on a dead-end street in Benton Harbor with little traffic, and was familiar with the area. Steven has relatives living near his home and was well-known to the neighbors as well. His house was torn down in 2005 and his parents have since moved to Hagar Township, Michigan.
Authorities searched four miles of Blue Creek and as well as the pond behind Harbor Haven Ministries in May 2001, but failed to produce any evidence of Steven’s whereabouts. Investigators searched another area of woods near the Southwestern Michigan Regional Airport in November 2002, but no evidence was located.
